When most people think of OCD or obsessive-compulsive disorder, they think of an excessively clean environment, someone who counts their steps, or people who can’t stop washings their hands. While these can all be symptoms of OCD, the disorder is far more complicated than quirky behaviors. OCD is an anxiety disorder and many people who suffer from OCD cope by abusing alcohol. If you’re stuck in the spiral of OCD and alcoholism, you must seek OCD treatment. Our alcohol rehab offers dual diagnosis treatment to get you the help that you need.
What Is OCD?
OCD, or obsessive-compulsive disorder, typically has two different facets: obsession and compulsion. Obsession often takes the form of intrusive thoughts. Compulsions are repetitive, disruptive behaviors that a person with OCD feels compelled to do. Compulsions can help to ease obsessive, intrusive thoughts. OCD is an anxiety disorder and may develop after trauma. It is often treated with a combination of medication and psychotherapy.
Obsessions typically take the form of unwanted thoughts or urges that are unpleasant and cause significant distress, such as thoughts about harming oneself or others. Compulsions are repetitive behaviors or mental rituals that a person feels compelled to do in order to ease the anxiety caused by obsessions. These behaviors can take many forms, such as repeated hand washing, counting, checking for safety, or other similar behaviors.
Although OCD is often thought of as being associated with cleanliness and organization, these are just two of the many different types of obsessions and compulsions that people with OCD may experience. Other common examples include intrusive thoughts about harming others, repeated checking, or excessive hoarding.
How Are Alcoholism and OCD Related?
While many medications can help to ease the symptoms of OCD, people who have the disease may choose to self-medicate. This can result in the abuse of drugs and alcohol. People with OCD may struggle with a large amount of “noise,” or intrusive thoughts, in their minds. The use of drugs and/ or alcohol may give them a break from these intrusive thoughts. The feelings of relaxation associated with drinking can become addictive and quickly lead to a hard-to-overcome combination of OCD and alcoholism.
When a person with OCD drinks, they may drink to excess, as their brain finally gets a breather from the nonstop obsessive thoughts they deal with in everyday life. This can lead to binge drinking and blackouts. The next day, the person may feel intense anxiety and begin to obsess over how they acted, what others thought, how much money they spent, if someone is mad at them, etc. While this can result in turning to alcohol once again for anxiety relief, it can also cause other issues. This cycle can quickly spiral into alcoholism and OCD.
Dual Diagnosis Treatment
For people who suffer from OCD and alcoholism, it’s important to get dual diagnosis treatment. Dual diagnosis clients are people who suffer from both a mental health issue and addiction. The two go hand in hand, and a treatment center needs to understand how the two issues work together. At Crestview Recovery, we understand the unique needs of dual diagnosis clients. We utilize several different therapies to help our clients, including:
- Trauma therapy
- Individual, group, and family therapy
- 12-step recovery
- Mindfulness meditation therapy
- Cognitive-behavioral therapy
No two dual diagnosis clients are alike. When you enroll in treatment at Crestview Recovery, your therapist will work with you to understand how your alcoholism and OCD intertwine. We’ll use your experiences and struggles to inform your treatment, creating a plan that will get you to recover as efficiently as possible. Throughout your treatment, we’ll check in and make adjustments to your therapy as necessary.
Crestview Recovery Offers Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy
Cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) is a widely accepted evidence-based style of treatment that operates on the idea that negative (and positive) behaviors get learned and reinforced in time. To change behaviors, participants must work to modify their thoughts, feelings, and behaviors that contribute to substance use disorder and mental health concerns.
At Crestview, our therapists help modify these damaging thoughts and beliefs during cognitive-behavioral therapy. Through this process, the person can accomplish the changes needed to maintain and sustain recovery.
Interpersonal Process Groups
Interpersonal process groups at Crestview Recovery are group counseling teams that promote healing through an understanding of addictive psychodynamics (the way individuals function psychologically) and socially. The leader of the group will address the following:
- How each person is feeling and functioning within the group
- How the members are interacting with one another
- How the group is functioning as a whole
For people struggling with OCD and alcoholism, we help establish emotional development and childhood struggles that lead to poor decision-making, impulsivity, anger, and unhealthy coping skills. Every individual’s struggle is their own, but we find that many people share similar experiences. Working through particular concerns helps participants improve their judgment, reasoning, communication, and processing skills.
Call Crestview Recovery
If you have OCD and alcoholism, you face a unique set of challenges in starting your path to recovery. At Crestview Recovery, we understand the difficulties you may face in getting sober, and we’re here to help. As a person with a mental health issue, it’s key that you seek a rehabilitation center that specializes in dual diagnosis treatment. Our counselors understand how obsessive-compulsive disorder can contribute to alcoholism, and we’re here to help you through the anxiety and stress that can come with the start of your recovery.
Call us today at 866.262.0531 to learn more about how we can help you get your life back, one day at a time. Recovery is possible, and we’re here to make it a reality for you.
Since 2016, Dr. Merle Williamson, a graduate of Oregon Health Sciences University, has been the Medical Director at Crestview Recovery, bringing a rich background in addiction medicine from his time at Hazelden Treatment Center. He oversees outpatient drug and alcohol treatments, providing medical care, setting policies, detox protocols, and quality assurance measures. Before specializing in addiction medicine, he spent 25 years in anesthesiology, serving as Chair of Hospital Pharmacy and Therapeutics Committee and Chief of Anesthesia at Kaiser Permanente. This experience gives him a unique perspective on treating prescription drug addiction.
